Chapter 5 : Anthony what ?

    The solitary street lights cast eerie shadows over the crime scene, 

   Dried blood illuminated under the street lights, a remnant of the night terrors, the victim's face was distorted beyond recognition , and there was no ID on him,

     Breanna, who was on undercover operation, watched from a rooftop, with her binoculars. She had a burger at her other hand , she pressed the burger and munch out a big piece making mayonnaise drip from the corner of her mouth, 

   The expansive rooftop offered an unobstructed view of the chaos below, 

     “This is the second murder in Enchanted Hills this month, and again it appears to be in a group too. Ma'am do you think ‘Blade Knuckles'’ has something to do with it ?” Brenna's aide Sophia asked her.

     “Blade Knuckle kills people by slitting their throat but in this case I don't feel he has anything to do with it”, Breanna paused .

   “The victim has been punched to death , the bruises on their body and the distorted face of the lead guy dissipates Blade Knuckle as a suspect” , Brenna hints her aide Gideon.. 

     “Get me the CCTV footage of this alley and the forensic squad should run a DNA test on the victims especially the guy with a distorted face, there are likely to be some samples of the suspect's blood on his face”. Breanna ordered her aide in a professional tone.

   Under the gaze of the binoculars, Breanna noticed chaotic movement , the crime scene investigator received a call from his Walkie Talkie,

   She immediately dialed his number after he was done taking in the walkie talkie. 

   “How is the situation down there ?”, Breanna asked with a composed voice.

    “Ma'am we just got a call about another murder” , the policeman reported.

   “What is the location I will head there with the forensic squad”, Breanna offered tying her shoe lace 

    The Hunts estate was an expansive grounds, featuring a sweeping driveway, manicured lawns, and an aura of refinement and exclusivity, setting the stage for the impressive home that lay beyond.”

      Nevena was dumbstruck at the sight of the mansion, the security check post were heavily guarded by men with weapons, 

    The mansion, with its manicured gardens and imposing entryway was the epitome of an exclusive lifestyle, 

  The servants lined up and welcomed them both with a bow,

   "She is a special guest , so treat her with the utmost respect while she is here ," Grinch cautioned the maids and walked away with Nevena.

    “Hello Carlos,” Grinch said over the phone after he showed Nevena to the guest room, 

   “Yes man" Carlos's voice came from the other end

    "Blade has gone to blow one down ‘kill a man’ , be on the lookout over there”, Grinch ordered dropping the phone.

    Nevena was wowed by the interior of the guest room, it was offering everything a guest could need without even needing to leave their room.”

   Still hasn't gotten over her kidnap, she laid on the bed blankly, recounting her ordeal,

   "What if she hadn't run into that man's arm, what would have been her condition?" She was covered in goosebumps as many bad thoughts flooded her memory.

    Suddenly she heard a soft knock on the door , she immediately sprang to her feet,

   "Who's there ?" she asked in a sulky tone..

   "Ma'am! Dinner has been served" Grinch said In a respectful manner and hurried off.

   Nevena slowly alighted the stairs and she was greeted by a banquet, the dining table was laden with different dishes,

  “Where are the others?” she asked in disbelief.

   “Grinch Sir and the others are preoccupied with work and the Big Boss is not home”, the maid answered in a meek tone before serving Nevena, 

    Meanwhile arriving at Vincenzo's house , the luxurious Mansion Courtyard served as a confined stage for the crime, 

     Blood spatter painted the grim paintings on the white walls, 

Furniture laid upturned silent markers of desperate fight, 

   Weapons like mace , club, bats, knives and revolver littered the floor, a shattered vase and broken glasses laid sparkled on the floor. 

    It was already the dawn of another day , early morning rays shimmer through the window illuminating the house , which the lights were flickering, 

    The scuff marks near the window hinted at a hasty escape.

   With a gloved hand , Breanna knelt beside one of the victims, her expression somber , she examined the neck of the victims it was a. knuckled and blade cut,

     Breanna's face mask with apathetic emotions as she fills her notebook with rapid and meticulous details, the forensic experts dusted for fingerprints, DNA samples were carefully collected ,technicians photographed the scene preserving every details, 

   Breanna scoured for evidence , invisible to the untrained eye , she photographed some seemingly insignificant details.

    She trailed a blood pattern out of the building and demanded the forensic squad to analyze and see if it matches the second blood from the other crime scene, ‘the one of the man with a distorted face’

    She followed the blood trails and saw where Blade once fell unconscious but there was no more trails she abandoned her search when Sophia called out to her ,

   The next day , Breanna stared at the stack of documents on her table with a yawn , her heart filled with determination, 

   “Sophia! Sophia!!” She called her aide in a low tone,

  “Yes ma'am”, Sofia answered with a slight bow,

  “Arrange this papers into a folder and send me a copy” Breanna said with a hint of tiredness handling over some documents to Sofia,

   “Breanna ma'am!, don't you think you need to rest , you have developed dark circles under the eyes”, Sofia said out of concern,

   “Sophia! I emailed you a picture, find that woman for me” Breanna said diverting the topic. “And the plate number check with the V.I.O and see who it was assigned to”.

  "Okay ma'am" Sophia affirmed in defeat ,

   "Ma'am ?" Sophia called after some minutes, jolting Breanna back to reality. 

    “I uploaded her picture on our system and I was able to gather some info on her from the Heathrow airport”

  “Her name is Nevena Bachvarov, from Bulgaria She is on a tourist visa she stays at (4a) New oak guest house ,Drench lane New Mexico” Sophia briefed it, exuding an aura of professionalism 

   “That's my girl, well done Breanna acknowledged with a hint of praise and excitement”.

    “Let's go pay her a visit now” She said determinedly.

    Breanna pulled over at the entrance of Nevena's guest house, she and Sophia strode into the house 

   Sophia took the initiative and rang the doorbell continuously but there was no response.

   “Sophia wait” , Breanna stopped her with a furrowed brow .. 

    Breanna scrutinized the lock and it dawned on her that the lock was tampered with.

   Someone tampered with the lock , Breanna said and exhaled worriedly. 

She wore her gloves and gave the door a slight push; they were welcomed by perpetual emptiness.

  “Follow my lead and don't touch anything” she cautioned Sophia sternly.

   “The occupants of the car, they seems to know about the camera, so their face were barely visible, therefore this Bulgarian tourist is our lead”, Breanna continued 

   Ding! Ding!!, Sophia's phone dinged as a message dropped in,distracting the two.

   “Breanna ma'am, the V. I. O sent their feedback”, Sophia said with rejuvenated energy

  “The number is assigned to One Anthony—”

    “Anthony what” Breanna cut in impatiently. 

     “He seems to be a prominent figure with many Casinos and Hotels”. Sophia continued with her eyes glued to the screen of her phone.

   “Anthony what!?” Breanna asked in frustration while trying to suppress her aggressiveness.

    Sophia was slightly taken aback at her action,

     “I'm sorry ma'am, it's Anthony Hunt. If I may ask, are you okay?” she asked with concern scanning Breanna's disarray state...

   “No, no it can't be,” Breanna said staggering backwards until her back hit the wall.

  “Ma are you okay ?”... Sophia asked again

  “Yes sure, I'm just tired”, Breanna tried to cover up her bloop as she walked past Sophia ,

     “That's weird nothing seems to shake her but at the mention of 'Anthony Hunt’ almighty Breanna Stewart shrieked in fear” ,Sophia muttered inwardly and ran after Breanna.

    “Ma'am where are we off to ?” Sophia asked immediately she caught up with Breanna.

    “Not we , I'm going alone to interrogate Anthony... Breanna said 

 “Breanna ma'am, are you sure you can handle it?”

   “On a second thought, you go I need to go to Junior's school”, Breanna back away.